On Tuesday, Google announced that an attack originating from China (though they did not come out an blame the government) attempted to gain access to several email accounts of Chinese human rights activists. The attacks were aimed at obtaining information on the dissidents. After the attempted attacks, Google lifted all censorship, despite the wide cast net of an iron curtain required by the Chinese government. For the first time in two years images of the “tank man” from Tianamen square were able to be searched by people on google.cn.

Google has threated to leave the Chinese market entirely. Google supporters in China held a candle light vigil outside the Googleplex and told media they would not continue to go online if Google left. While many people around the world have supported Google’s intentions in China, the local Chinese media has all but ignored them. Originally, small pieces were carried but omitted any mention of censorship, free speech, or oppression. By late Tuesday, no Chinese media was covering the event.

In a move that is oh so very Google-like, should they opt out of China, they have already begun offering help to displaced Chinese workers in the form of work in other Google offices worldwide (if they are allowed to go) or compensation. As of right now, employees in China are all on holiday leave until this settles.

On Wednesday, China’s foreign ministry made the ludicrous statement that “China’s internet is open” but that internet companies must operate within the confines of Chinese law. Which is a reasonable request when the law does not require heavy censorship of anything involving basic human rights.

While the Whitehouse endorsed Google’s efforts in China they have opted to remain out of any talks between Google and Chinese authorities. Which is good as it is none of our governments business how a private company operates in a foreign country.

Censorship is an evil. Human knowledge belongs to the world. If you are doing no wrong as a government, what fear should you have of allowing your people to see your history entirely? Why can your people not search “human rights?” or “Tianamen square,” or “dissident,” or “exile,” or “Tibet,” or “underground church?” There are some things that ought not be online, too true. And we experience some forms of censorship in the US, most assuredly (the most obvious case – and a perfectly reasonable one – is that of child pornography) but what is censored in the US is still available for searching, you merely face consequences for doing so. Our censorship involves issues that we find reprehensible to the human conscience. Your censorship involves issues that might educate your people on just how horrific your human rights record really is.

If you have nothing to fear, China, why are you so very afraid?

One Tweeter put it quite honestly and succintly:

@cxzj: It’s not Google that’s withdrawing from China, it’s China that’s withdrawing from the world #GoogleCN (translated)